Man you guys are awesome! I wish I found you all a few weeks ago. Now that I got that out of the way:First you get a 1st Timer Max Slap.Welcome Aboard.
What is a quality moisture meter? There are many models and designs out in the market. You can go super laboratory mode or just a nice devise to check the moisture. I have one that is called the HoldAll Three-Way Meter; Moisture, pH and Light. Got it at the HOT BABEGrow Shoppe. So I purchased the meter not really for the quality, but the grow shop owner is SMOKING HOT. The numbers are very hard to read, but it's not used as an exact moisture instrument or pH meter. I use it to get an idea of the soil dryness towards the end of the WET/DRY cycle. After a while you get to know how much time between watering just by lifting the containers to feel the lightness or heaviness of the container. Any grow shop or garden center should have them. The Accurate 8 has been tossed around as a good pH meter; I don't know if they have a moisture meter.
What is the temps in the grow space when the lamps are on? Ideal is 75F-82F. A drop of 10 degree is normal when the lights go off in indoor grows and even outside when the Sun goes down. I don't think that lower temp should be an issue. Keep the RH in a 40%-50% range if possible.
Really.....If you are comfortable in your environment; example of nice room temp, not too hot, not too cold. Then the same goes with your girls. Mimic the perfect Sping/Summer days in VEG and the Late Summer/Autumn in FLOWER.
I go 18/6. I have always grown Autoflower Cannabis at 18/6. Plants need rest, like all living things. Give them a good 6 hours of darkness.
Don't baby your plants. Let them search for water in the early stages. Then when the roots become established and that usually after the 2nd week. Go on a WET/DRY cycle.
Full saturation of the soil (WET) to near total dryness (DRY). That's TO near total dryness and the moisture meter will help in that.
That's how I water/feed. Other AFN grower's do other watering methods. My good friend @Rhyce Saroni water/feed his plants differently than I do after the seedling stage. That's what he does...he's got the time to work his garden, because that's all he does.
I find a WET/DRY cycle is the best of both worlds and makes my growing a little easier.
Also go to www.growweedeasy.com
Best info of Ganja Growing of all kinds, w/o the B.S. that other "Grow Sites" have.
Best of luck to you and just enjoy.
Soil pH Meter, 3-in-1 Soil Test Kit For Moisture, Light and pH, A Must Have For Gardening Tools, Lawn, Farm, Plants and Herbs, Indoor and Outdoors Soil Tester with 100% Accuracy (No Battery Needed) Amazon product
That's the meter I bought. Cheap, maybe effective, we will find out soon enough.
The temps with the light on are 77f. My tent is in the basement and I'm in the northeast so being winter it's about 60 in the basement at night. I noticed a bit of discoloration on the leaves this morning so I moved the light up to about 23 inches away from the pots. It was about ten inches closer last night. I think it'll be ok just don't want to go through all this trouble and end up with a few grams at the end. I want that feeling of "wow I can grow my own meds!"
I'm sure it'll take a few grows before I'm completely content but all this help can't hurt!
